The Chic Diet: The Dietary and Psychological Tactics of the Urban Elite

by Kit Olsen

Everyone can spot a Chic Girl from a city block away. She oozes glamour from every pore as she struts around in her sample sized dress, traipsing around on her skinny little legs in her absurdly expensive heels. People stop to stare and wonder, "How does she do it?"

She will preach about balanced diets and red-faced workout sessions, but it's all a farce. Like, didn't you know about her real dietary tactics? Oh, you didn't? Well, aren't you in for a treat!

Be it a month-long juice cleanse, a steady diet of air, or eschewal of any foodstuff that isn't green or white, the chic girl knows how to keep her figure svelte and trim. And you know what else she's really, really good at? Being completely, utterly and hopelessly unhinged. Glamorous!

Just so you know, this book is totally and completely satirical. Like, I just want to make you laugh, or something. No one should take any of this to heart or use it as some sort of handbook for turning into a super psychotic sociopath. Unless, of course, that's who you're aspiring to become. So chic, I die.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Diets, Food, Satire, Psychology, Humor

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2013

Reviews

[daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it is satirical, but ALSO a great guide to developping (or perfecting) an eating disorder!!
Yes, I did read this to trigger myself yet again. And it was SO MUCH FUN OMG!!!
All the Tumblr thinspo quotes and 2006-2012 model references gave me war flashbacks. 13-year old me spent HOURS everyday on ed Tumblr, reblogging pictures of Felice Fawn (remember her???). *sigh* Those were the days.
Relapse, here I come!!!!

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bible. What more is there to say?

[N♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly the funniest book I've read in my life. A hilarious, trashy satire of what body image and diet-obsessed young women sound like to outsiders. As someone who unfortunately grew up in the trenches of ED twitter and tumblr, this book is like reading out from the feed of one of my deranged mutuals or even my own tweets from the time. I don't think anyone who hasn't had an ED would care for this book so just read at your own discretion I guess.

[evil rory gilmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

insanely funny. but potentially very triggering, don’t read if you struggle w disordered eating/body image.

[persephone ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

got me relapsing yay ! 😝 what an amazing way to finish 2021 huh

[sylvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i hate myself lol. actually shouldn't even be logging this but i have a sort of compulsive goodreads thing now So. anyway this book is obviously heinous but it was also pretty funny if you're a little sick in the head like it made me lol but i wouldn't like recommend it to anyone who isn't obsessed with suffering

[tilly ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

did i read this book to actively trigger my eating disorder? yes, yes i did. was i also thoroughly entertained? abso-bloody-lutely. this book was a whole whirlwind of insightful information, god tier humour and a good mock commentary on the certain “elite chic” mentality all pressed into one. i know this is a book i will come back to time and time again to try and laugh about my anorexia as it can be a bit too pressing at times and needs some comedic relief. however, even though i did exactly this, if you are struggling with an eating disorder of any kind or are in recovery i very much do not recommend this book or at the very least proceed with as much caution as possible.

[seven · Rating 2 out of 5]

great satire but no one is reading it that way--best consumed by someone with critical thinking skills and over the age of 18. this shouldn't be a pro-ana manual, it's a satirical criticism of "it girl" culture.

[ave · Rating 4 out of 5]

insanely funny and accurate in the way it depicts how people with eating disorders perceive themselves and the world

[sophie esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was like super triggering and totes hilarious!

[paige]

this book is every whisper girl's dream: the perfect guide to being pro-ana but it's like totally okay because it's a joke! HA! no but seriously this was hilarious & triggering with tips to perfecting your modelesque ed because somehow we've glamorised that and made it okay. ed twt would've loved this honestly. 5 stars for because I thought it was clever, 0 stars for the concept. (and if you glorify eds because you think it's soooo #coquette #bimbo #modeloffduty #gigihadid...stop! you're not an unhinged woman "<3" who also conveniently romanticises the most problematic movies/books—you're just gross and weird! let's not!) okay. rant over.

[Fatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really funny and entertaining if you do not pick it up with big expectations.

A warning: Don't pick this up if you suffer with an eating disorder and get triggered really easy. The tips for weight-loss are clearly satirical and some of them highly dangerous so I don't suppose that a healthy person would want to try the diets but especially younger people and those who would do everything to lose weight could see some kind of encouragement in this book because the author's language glorifies being skinny and the way of the models (albeit in a very ironical way).

[lunar · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing. fantastic. skinniest book ever written. the language is ridiculously funny and the fact that you can't tell whether or not it's satire is even better. may have made me relapse into an eating disorder but who cares?

[Margarita Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

peak comedy

[Kat ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

hahahaha this was insufferable but so am i ❤️. i took notes.

[halle belly · Rating 5 out of 5]

satire mockery of our oh so beloved thinspo antics! how this so perfectly captivates the absolute delusion this culture holds on to, yes dear u do look silly to the rest of the world but who cares when ur as skinny as a needle 🤗 peak comedy; in a way that requires a certain level of trauma 🤣

[Sydnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style is a bit outdated with the overuse of slang, and I see why they stopped publishing it, but that didn’t stop me from eating up this book (pun intended) every moment I had free time to be on my phone.

[mir ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was funny actually but it breeds the worst people on twitter like those proana whisper meme girls

[rita margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

if i see “ohmigod” one more time i’m actually gonna kms

[yara · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'm crying this was so funny lmaoo bc this is quite literally what those bitches on twitter and tiktok sound like

[Tatum Schwall · Rating 3 out of 5]

twink son or chic diet daughter

[Jubilee]

pre read
lmk will this give me an ed

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not rating this 1 star because it's offensive and harmful (although it is)--I know this is *supposed* to be satire. It's just not good satire--it's not funny, or clever, or capable of making an interesting point about the topic. It's repetitive and boring, with nothing to say. I had extremely low expectations, and I'm still disappointed.

[Melany · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love diet coke and nicotine 💝

[honey]

pls don’t read this
i feel like the fact this book is obviously a satire goes above FARRRR too many peoples heads, this is genuinely how the ed twt gals talk and it’s so embarrassing

[Akosua Adjei · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was funny but it did make me sad thinking about all the different ways in which women damage ourselves.

[niya ✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

the begging i found very interesting but from like the middle to the end was kinda boring. its a page turner and honestly you can read it in way less than a day. it isnt “THAT” triggering if u acknowledge what the book is about and know what to expect. idk if i would recommend it but it was an okay read. i definitely liked it less than expected. thats basically it thanks for spending time reading my meaningless review. have a great day/night

[ha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is supposed to be satirical and many passages where but enough weren‘t. Can be triggering for someone with an ed. still interesting.

[mika · Rating 2 out of 5]

i dont know if i like it or not

[gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this might be the bible